Cyclone barrels towards Japan

Okinawa residents braced for large waves and violent winds Sunday after weather authorities warned of a fierce cyclone approaching the southern Japanese island.Typhoon Prapiroon was closing in on Okinawa’s capital Naha on Sunday afternoon while packing gusts of up to 144 kilometres per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.It was expected to draw close to the Okinawa island Sunday night through to the next morning before veering towards southwestern Japan and the Korean peninsula, the agency said.Large storms regularly strike Japan over summer and early autumn, often causing fatal landslides and flooding.